Government Shutdown- What deal was reached?

The government shutdown has ended after sixteen days. As of today, all furloughed workers will return to work and federal agencies will resume work as usual. The Senate voted 81-18 and the House voted 285-144 to pass the legislation. The bill was then signed into law by President Obama.

What does the legislation mean?

Government will be funded through January 15th. This gives legislators time to work out disagreements with spending related to welfare programs and taxes. The debt ceiling was raised just enough for the government to borrow at it’s normal rate through February 7th. This allows government to pay bills until a 2014 budget is put into place. The Affordable Care Act, one of the reasons for the government shutdown, will continue to operate as planned.

Lastly, workers who were furloughed will be paid back their wages that were withheld while they were furloughed.

9 legislators, out of 15, voted FOR the legislation that ended the government shut down. Senators Hagan and Burr and Representatives Price, Butterfield, McIntyre, Coble, Watt, Pittenger and McHenry were the ones that voted for the bill.

NASW-NC would like to thank our members who responded to calls for action during the shutdown. Congressional leaders heard about the devastation of the shutdown from the social work profession- directly from members. Thank you for advocating for your profession and your clients!